How the pandemic changed service station cleanliness forever
Society’s idea of cleanliness has changed dramatically since the beginning of the pandemic. Customers now relate safety with hygiene and want “safe” spaces to carry out their daily needs, such as fueling their vehicle or grabbing a sandwich. We speak to three experts to see how service stations and convenience stores have adapted to this shift.
The 2020 global pandemic accelerated existing trends in the service station market – from mobile payments to cleanliness. With stations now becoming multi-service hubs that include cafes and food courts, experience is increasingly the biggest driver to attract and retain customers. A big part of that customer experience is now cleanliness, especially since COVID-19 reinforced the pre-existing belief that hygiene equates safety. Retailers from all over the world announced plans to make stations “safe” through the enforcement of hygiene practices.
“When COVID hit, all retail channels quickly pivoted to help their customers feel safe returning to their stores. As essential services, convenience stores became a lifeline for essential items. To meet the consumers' increased need for safety, retailers increased hygiene and cleanliness standards. Clean stores attract more customers because they convey safety and security,” explains Mike Zahajko, Executive VP of Sales at CAF Outdoor Cleaning.
Studies made by CAF Outdooor and GasBuddy support the notion that cleanliness is a leading factor for customers to provide positive feedback about a site, together with friendliness and food offering. Nearly a third (29%) of shoppers that gave a service station a 5-star review raved about its cleanliness, according to a 2021 study by CAF Outdoor on Europe.
Various markets around the world have seen a major improvement in cleanliness inside the stores as the categories of fresh food and beverages gained space. The pandemic also turned an eye on the outside of stations. “For c-store shoppers, the outside fueling area is usually the first and last impression. Dirty diesel nozzles and fuel stains at the pump can negatively impact a retailer’s ability to convert fuel sales into in-store or foodservice sales. In the U.S., half of all c-store customers never enter the store, which means the only experience they have with your brand is at the pumps,” adds Zahajko.
Fuel stations will become service hubs in the (not so distant) future. With customers picking up their laundry, sending out emails from the food court or having a coffee under the sun while charging their EV, the demand for clean locations will only grow. The 2022 NACS Consumer Fuels Survey found that 74% of drivers say they will drive five minutes out of their way to go to the store they prefer – experience is becoming king.
Clean hands, less risk
Long before COVID, studies already showed fuel nozzle handles to be one of the most contaminated surfaces the public regularly held: 11,000 times dirtier than toilet seats and contaminated with notifiable pathogens. In the UK, an average fuel nozzle can be handled by over 200 people each week, each gripping it solidly for up to 3 minutes.
According to GripHero, a British company specialising in fuel gloves, the pandemic highlighted what were already hazardous surfaces and made people think twice about what they handle. The company has seen a significant demand increase over the last two years.
“We have seen a move away from sanitisers, which have their own hazards and can trigger skin conditions, towards preventing contact in the first place with a barrier such as a glove. Alarmingly, an independent study commissioned in Autumn 2020 of 2,000 drivers, showed that 55% of drivers found it harder to find gloves because some operators were moving gloves away from pumps and hiding gloves in the kiosk to deter customer use,” says Luke Jenkins, Head of Client Accounts at GripHero.
What about restrooms?
Much like the cleanliness of forecourts, toilets have historically not been considered a priority. And despite a significant improvement over the last years – integration inside the store, cleaner facilities – it remains an issue for most retailers. Sixty percent of customers agree that public spaces such as train stations, petrol stations, shopping centers and municipalities give too little priority to the quality and hygiene of toilets; while 62% says the evaluate this more critically due to COVID-19, according to a survey by ONE HUNDRED restrooms.
“This has highlighted the accelerated development of new design standards that are fast becoming the norm for any public restroom, primarily focused on the prevention of the transmission of viruses. This includes improved ventilation, air humidity, modified lay-outs, antibacterial finishes and zero touch solutions to avoid direct hand contact with faucets, flush plates and urinals,” says Mariëlle Romeijn, Founder and Chief Brand Officer of ONE HUNDRED, a Dutch company developing premium, paid public restrooms.
Mobility developments, technological advances, changes in consumer behaviour, and demographics are having an impact on the transformation of gas stations. How do restrooms and hygiene fit into this transition?
“Visitors are constantly looking for easy and time-saving solutions that simplify their professional and personal lives. Awareness of the importance of prevention and maintaining the well-being of people is growing every day. These days, everything from hardware to lifestyle is cloud-connected and AI-driven, but toilets are still an unexploited area. Thus, in addition to the accelerated implementation of the «new normal» design rules, the future of public toilets will be influenced by developments and innovations that will become centres of health and well-being,” adds Romeijn.
As with digital payments and on-demand delivery, the pandemic has pushed the fuel and convenience industry to improve its hygiene standards – diesel stains on the floor, grubby toilets and dirty coffee counters will quickly become a thing of the past. This trend provides an opportunity for retailers to differentiate themselves from competitors and continue to grow. As Romeijn says, “hygiene wasn’t a liability before. It is now.”
Article by Oscar Smith Diamante
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